I've got a listing of all the dedications in Anne's books on my general McCaffrey site, along with explanations where known. Thanks to people contacting me with information, I've just been able to update a couple of them:

Ring of Fear is dedicated to Elsie Lee, whom I've learned was an author of suspensful romance novels (much as Ring of Fear is). How they knew each other is not known.

Alchemy and Academe is dedicated to three people, and I've now learned information about a second one of them. Nancy Hood Brown was a friend of Anne's from college, and wrote for a newspaper before her tragic death in 1967.

oooh... did you know that Anne and Isaac Asimov both dedicated a book to Judy Del Rey.
The Asimov one was in memoriam and was in I think, I'm pretty certain but don't have the book handy, that it's in Foundation and Earth.

Ron and Chris retired about 19 years ago and their current whereabouts is unknown to the stables (or even if they are still alive).

It is suggested that if Anne was wanting info on arabs (for book or R.L.) then Chris was a very logical choice of person to go to.

The equine dedicatees were all members of Chris' stud and their plaques are still around.

Fiona says that they were also mentioned in Dick in "Photo Finish" as Chris was also a photographer. Problem: there is no such book. The one to do with photography is called "Reflex". I'll have to re-read it. The only other logical choice is "Flying Finish" which is about equine transport.

__________________"Truth is stranger than fiction: fiction has to make sense." Leo Rosten.

"When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up." C. S. Lewis

"I find television very educational. Whenever somebody switches it on I go in the other room and read a book." (attributed to Groucho Marx)

Ron and Chris retired about 19 years ago and their current whereabouts is unknown to the stables (or even if they are still alive).

It is suggested that if Anne was wanting info on arabs (for book or R.L.) then Chris was a very logical choice of person to go to.

The equine dedicatees were all members of Chris' stud and their plaques are still around.

Fiona says that they were also mentioned in Dick in "Photo Finish" as Chris was also a photographer. Problem: there is no such book. The one to do with photography is called "Reflex". I'll have to re-read it. The only other logical choice is "Flying Finish" which is about equine transport.

Err - how did we get onto Dick Francis here? It's interesting to me, as I have all his books, but I just wondered if a post has gone missing somewhere . . . ?

Maybe it's the laws of 6 degrees of seperation - you know Joe, Joe knows Sam, Sam knows Katie, Katie knows Joan, Joan knows Felicity, Felicity knows me. It is possible that Dick Francis met these people and was after information, in much the same way that Anne McCaffrey was after information so hence the dedications.